Science

We know chimpanzees as intelligent, emotional creatures that make and use tools, grieve for their dead, and pass down traditions between generations. But less well-known is that different communities of chimps have unique cultures—and that behavioral diversity that is shrinking, according to a new, 10-year study of…Read more... Tags: Science, Africa, Conservation, Chimpanzees, Habitats

Some incredibly mischievous chimps put on quite a display for visitors at the Belfast Zoo over the weekend by attempting a big break from their enclosure—a daring effort that was captured on video as one managed to get beyond a wall.Read more... Tags: Science, Belfast, Chimpanzees, Belfast Zoo, The Great Escape

When it comes to figuring out which individual among a group of primates is the most dominant, some scientists simply look for the one that’s being the most assertive or aggressive. New research suggests this approach grossly underestimates the social complexity of nonhuman primates, and that there’s more to social…Read more... Tags: Science, Biology, Conflict, Anthropology, Animal Behavior, Primates, Chimpanzees, Chimps, Macaques

Since time immemorial, humans have had a knack for being complete and utter dicks to the other animals we share our planet with. Often, we even manage to screw things up for other species without meaning to. A study published earlier this month in the journal of Emerging Infectious Disease has retroactively uncovered…Read more... Tags: Science, Chimpanzees, Common Cold

Humans are the only animals known to develop Alzheimer’s disease, an age-related brain disorder that causes impaired cognitive functioning and other behavioral problems. Or at least, that’s what we thought. For the first time ever, researchers are claiming to have found signs of the disease in the brains of elderly…Read more... Tags: Science, Aging, Chimpanzees, Alzheimers, First Time, Chimps, Alzheimers Disease, Aging Sucks

Animals, they’re just like us: they breathe, they eat, they like rubbing their genitals on things, they look cool in sunglasses, they die. But sometimes before that, they go through a period of adolescence that has a few things in common with what we associate with human adolescence. Aside from the sexual activity and…Read more... Tags: Science, Animals, Elephants, Parrots, Chimpanzees, Killer Whales, Orcas, Tortoises, Teen Week

Like humans, gorillas and chimpanzees can get infected by Ebola. To protect our closest relatives from this dreaded disease, and to prevent the virus from spilling over into human populations, scientists have now developed an oral vaccine to combat Ebola in the wild. It sounds very promising, but the researchers have…Read more... Tags: Health, Ebola, Science, Medicine, Epidemics, Vaccines, Ebola Vaccine, Chimpanzees

It was only a drill. Staff at the Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo recently chased an unlucky coworker dressed in a droopy chimpanzee suit during an escaped animal drill. Eventually, the zookeepers shot at the costumed human with a tranquilizer gun, loaded the poor guy into a truck, and hopefully, paid for all the beers…Read more... Tags: Science, Zoos, Animals, Tokyo, Chimpanzees, Zoos Are Awful Places, Tama Zoological Park

This week, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the founder of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, posted an Instagram video of a chimpanzee wearing an HTC Vive virtual reality headset. There’s no sound, but the brief clip shows the chimpanzee sweeping its hands across the headset and reaching out to grab at the… Tags: Science, Virtual Reality, Chimpanzees, Exotic Animals